Mexico Escapes Devastation As Dean Cools Off

Hurricane Dean barreled across Mexico's Yucatan peninsula yesterday, felling trees and power lines, sending corrugated iron roofs flying through the air and threatening large areas with flooding as it headed for the country's main offshore oilfields.

But for all the destruction and the continued dangers, hopes were growing that catastrophe had been avoided. Dean entered Mexico early yesterday morning a category 5 hurricane - the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale and the third strongest Atlantic storm to hit land on record.

Sustained winds peaked at 165mph with gusts topping 200mph on the outer edge of the storm's eye as it passed over the lightly populated southern stretch of coastline on the peninsula's eastern side.

Speaking to local media from Chetumal - a city of 150,000 on the border with Belize and the biggest population center in the affected area - the local governor, Félix González, said there were no initial reports of casualties or serious damage.

Already largely emptied of tourists, the resorts of Cancún and Playa del Carmen were only brushed by Dean's northern edge. There was, however, still little information from Majahual - the main resort in the hurricane's path - and no word on the potential damage to the important Sian Ka'an nature reserve.

The main fears focused on the flooding danger in the low-lying peninsula, which is dotted with isolated communities of Mayan Indians whose only shelter are flimsy houses. Local media reported that some had resisted evacuation.

Weakening as it crossed the peninsula, Dean was downgraded to a category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105mph on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, where the national oil company had already shut down its wells, evacuating more than 18,000 workers.

Dean was forecast to re-enter the mainland today, north of the port city of Veracruz. President Felipe Calderón said he would visit when the weather permitted.